SÀGINA MARITIMA. ANNUAL SEASIDE PEARL-
WORT.
SAG IN A maritima; anriua, glabra, caulibbs erectis vel basi sdlummodo proeuiiibentibus, foliis carnosis
obtusis, floribus apetalis, calyce capsula paulo longiore;
SAGINA maritima. Don's Herb. B rit.fasc . 7: n. 155. Smith Enel. Bot. t, 2105. Hooker FI. Scot,
P, I. p. 60.
C lass a nd O rd er. TETRANDRIA TETRAGYNIA.
[N a turAt Ord e r . CARYOPH YLLE.&, Jussv, Decand.] •
Ge n . Cha r. Calyx tetraphyllus; Pet ala quatuor (calyce breviora, vel nulla); Capsula mOnol ocularis, quadrivalvis.
Ge n . Ch a r . Calyx of four leaves.. Petals four (shorter than the calyx, or none). Capsule of one cell, four-yalved.
, Radix annua, parva, fibrosa-, ràmosa, fused.
Caules piures ex eadem radiée, filiformes, basi piociuh-
bentes, rubicundi, dein pleiumque erecti, virides,
vix ramosi, glaberrimi, teretes.
Folia parva, öppositä, lineariaj carnosa, semiteretia, obtuse,
glaberrima; obscure viridià, basi connata,
margine membrànacea, alba.
Flores solitarii, terminales axillaresque, pedunculati.
Pedunculi graciles, glabri, primum breves, de-
mum, post fioreScentiam præcipue, elongati.
Calyx tetraphyllus, foliolis ovatis, concavis, viridibus,
enervibus, persistentibus, tandem fuscescentibus.
Corolla nulla.
StamiNa quatuor: Fila ment a alba, basi paululum di-
jv latata, genuine longiora.
Anth eræ rotundaUe, flavæ.
PlS'jjjjLLUM : iGermen ovatum, viride. Stylus iiullus.
Stigmâta quatuor, primum erecta, demum paten-
tia, pl'uinosa, alba.
Pe r iCArpium : Capsula ovata, membranacea, fusca,
segmentis calycis subæque longa, quadrivalvis,
unilocularis. Receptaculum seminum centrale,
^ columnare, liberum.
Semina numerosa, subreniformia, compressa, fusca, minute
tuberculata. Podosperma longiuscula.
Albumen camosum.
Embryo cylindracea, curvata. Cotyledones longinscu-
læ. Radicula ad hilum versa.
Root annual, small, fibrous, branched, brown.
Stems many from the same root, filiform, procumbent,
and reddish at the base, then generally erect, green;
scarcely branched, quite glabrous, rounded.
L eaves small, opposite, linear, fleshy, semicylindrical,
obtuse, quite glabrous, dull green, connate at the
base, with a white margin, and membranaceous:
Flowers solitary, terminal and axillary, pedunculated.
Peduncles slender, glabrous, a t first short, afterwards,
especially after flowering, elongated.
Ca Lyx of four leaves, with the leaflets ovate, concave,
green, nerveless, persistent, at length brownish.
Corolla none.
Stamens four-. Filaments white, a little spreading at the
base, longer than the germen.
An thers rounded, yellow.
P i s t i l : Germen ovate, green. Style none. Stigmas.
four,- a t first erect, then patent, feathery, white.
P e r ica r p : Capsule ovate, membranaceous, brown,
about as long as the segments of the calyx, of four
valves, one-celled. Receptacle of the seeds central,
columnar, free.
Seeds numerous, subreniform, compressed, brown,
minutely tuberculated. Seedstalks rather long.
A lbumen fleshy.
Embryo cylindrical, curved. Cotyledons rather long.
Radicle turned towards the hilum.
Fig. l, l. Plants, nat. size. Fig. 2,2. Portions of plants. Fig. 3. Pistil with the styles unexpanded, and stamens.
Fig. 4. The same with the styles expanded. Fig. 5. Stamens. Fig. 6. Capsule included in the calyx.
Fig. 7. Capsule from which the cal. is removed. Fig. 8. Capsule expanded, having discharged its seeds, and
showing the central receptacle, on which the numerous seedstalks remain. Fig. 9. Seeds. Fig. 10. Seed dis-
. sected to show the albumen and embryo.—all magnified.
The discovery of this very distinct species of Sagina is due to the late indefatigable Mr. G. Don, of Forfar,
who found it not only on the coasts of Angus-shire, Aberdeen, Queensferry, near Edinburgh, and the Isle of Skye,
but also far inland' upon Ben Nevis. Mr. Brown also met with it at Ballycastle, Ireland, near the Giants’ Causeway.
The specimens here figured, I gathered in August 1819, growing in the salt marshes at Southwold, Suffolk, where
it is remarkably abundant. It is distinguished from the S. procumbens, along with which it is frequently found
mixed, by its annual roots, and nearly erect reddish stems: from S. apetala by its entirely glabrous stems; and
from, both by its total want of petals, awnless and obtuse leaves, and much shorter capsule.